It's no secret that I have a soft spot for reviews that dismantle terrible games with humor and wit, so that may be why Pickhut's piece appears here instead of others. It's funny without being silly, and scathing without being harsh, and I just love that shit.

This review fascinates me. Your descriptions of the world of Eschalon, narrations of gameplay and mechanics, and exposition on the setting are all intriguing and capture my attention. But I feel like part of the reason is that you've reviewed an exceptionally detailed and captivating game. I don't feel as though a lot is done to take these elements and make them your own, to put your own spin on them. This piece would benefit a lot from a stronger narrative voice, everything else it's got down. Also, half of me wants to hear more about experiences with other character builds and how they work instead of just your ranger, but the other half thinks that leaving it out makes the reader want to attempt it themselves that much more. Take from this what you will.

Your Champion, and Winner of the Hardest Name to Type Award - SamildanachEmrys with Pirates! (NES)

Arr matey, any landlubber could pen an entertainin' tale aboot Sid Meier's lesser-known creation. But here, ye've spun yer experiences with this game into a narrative the likes of which Davy Jones 'iself would crawl from the murkey depths te lend an ear too. And t'ain't but the saltiest sea dog who's capable of such a thrillin' retelling.

**AWK! Thrillin' retelling! Thrillin' retelling!**

This piece here, t'is long, but without bein' unwieldy, and chock full o' flavour and detail that makes me old heart sing. T'is a story told well, so it's a double ration of rum fer the likes of yeh. Now get back to work!

Samildanach will be pleased to hear that, I'm sure! I definitely thought this deserved it this week. There were so many good reviews, but this one just had an incredible amount of jive (jibe?) to it.

I actually think I would've chosen the exact same line up, though my write up wouldn't have been as well written and I would've probably talked about someone who I thought was in this week but was actually not...

... because of course it's all about what I would've done!

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

Thanks, Will. This was a strong week, so I can't really complain about second place. =P Congrats to Samil...unpronouceable for winning and to pickhut for placing.

As an aside, I didn't experiment with other character builds - do you have any idea how long that would've taken me? Lol the review would never have gotten written! - so that's why it's just about my ranger.

What espiga does in his free time[Eating EmP's brain] probably isn't a good idea. I mean... He's British, which means his brain's wired for PAL and your eyes are NTSC. - Will

Thanks! I'm deeply gratified and a little bit afraid that I've made review of the week. It's good to know people get some enjoyment out of my procrastination (I should really be writing historical analyses rather than game reviews, but never mind eh?)

Oh, and people generally call me Sam or Sammy or Samil, things of that nature. I know the full name is an inconvenience. :p

'There would be tears and there would be strange laughter. Fierce births and deaths beneath umbrageous ceilings. And dreams, and violence, and disenchantment.'

Thanks, Will! Appreciate the mention and the comments about the review. And congrats to Sam for getting RotW. I'll admit I haven't read it yet due to being occupied, but I'll be sure to check it out now since Will has arouse my interest!

I head spaceshit noises

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This message was administratively deleted because it did not adhere to site guidelines, or because a user other than Aresmeryism requested its removal.

Anyway, congrats everyone. Great picks this week. Thank you, Samil and Wolfqueen, for piquing my interesting on Pirates! and Eschalon, respectively. And thank you for the warning on Muscle March, Pickhut.